Enjoying Trouble (Trouble #3) (27 page)

“Janey!” I shouted.

There was silence.

“They might be in the main dining hall,” said my mother behind me. “Straight ahead.”

I reached double doors and looked to my mother. She nodded. I then kicked them both open. I stormed in to see a group of men in suits waiting around a table, with black masks on. They all turned to look at me. I noticed the long table they were surrounding had leather straps and other items I didn’t want to think about.

“You have to be fucking kidding me,” I muttered, swinging the gun at them. “Where is she?” I shouted.

They moved away from me, putting their hands up in a “calm down” gesture. No-one spoke.

“Where is she?” I demanded again. There was a gunshot and a squeal; I turned in shock to look at my mother. She had fired her own gun, from who knows where and had shot one of them in the foot. He squealed like a pig and dropped to the ground.

“Where’s the girl, David?”

“You fucking shot me, you bitch!” he shouted in pain.

“Where is she?” she demanded angrily. “Someone answer me, before you get a bullet each!”

“We’re still waiting for her,” said one.

“Where’s Oliver?” I asked them.

“Bringing her to us.”

There was a stumbling behind us and then a crash. I swung around to see Sebastian near the entrance, clutching his stomach. The blood seeping into his shirt was not a good sign.

“She’s escaped,” he uttered, dropping to this knees. “She’s in the forest.”

“Where’s Oliver?” I asked.

“He went after her,” he gasped.

“Did she do that?” I asked next, my eyes on his wound.

He shook his head and said, “I got her out.”

“Go,” said my mother, her gun still poised in the air. “Go and find her. I have guards coming who will be here any minute.”

I started to run towards Sebastian who was turning very pale. “Get him an ambulance,” I called out to her as I ran past him and back out into the night.

Janey

I heard him laughing, like a maniac and it only spurred me on to run faster. I couldn’t help my cries as I tripped over fallen logs and low branches, trying to get away from him. It felt like I was running up the side of a mountain, and I truly had no idea of how I was going to escape him.

I fell again, this time hurting my ankle and I screamed in pain. Sharp darts of pain stabbed its way up my leg as I tried to move.

I heard laughter and it was close.

I got up on my knees and crawled, hoping to hide under a bush somewhere. I felt out with my hands but found nothing but leaves and forest debris on the ground. I quickly got down in to a foetal position and attempted to cover myself with the leaves. It was now my only chance to disappear from him. Dirt hit me in the face as I quickly scooped it over me, no longer caring about the creepy crawlies; I had to survive.

I soon realised there was silence around me and I stopped. My ears took in the silence around me, focusing on any small sound. Where did he go?

I heard a shout in the distance.

Had he turned around?

There was another shout and it sounded like Will. I closed my eyes and felt the emotion strangle me. I so wanted him to be here to save me that I was hallucinating. I swallowed down a sob and it hurt my throat. This was it. He was going to find me and kill me, or I would die in this forest. Whatever way, the outcome was my demise.

I didn’t want it to end here; I still had so much to do. I wanted to be something. I wanted to make Will a happy man. I tried to envision my Will, to try and block the pain throbbing up my leg. My beautiful Will.

There was a sudden chuckle and my heart stopped in fright, my eyes opening to the darkness.

“Come out, Janey,” said Oliver’s voice. It was way too close now and I knew I was screwed. My fingers moved around in the dirt slowly around me. I needed a rock or a big branch for self defence. I should have thought of it earlier.

I needed to survive this.

I would be so pissed if I missed out on the good part of my life that was to come. I could do this. I wasn’t a crazy bitch for nothing.

I heard another shout in the distance and gasped. It was my name. It did sound like Will. He had come to save me. My Will. I wanted to shout out to him, but knew Oliver was only metres away from me. I shut my eyes tightly and wondered what to do. Will wouldn’t get to me in time, not in the dark.

There was a sudden growl and then Oliver was on top of me. I screamed and tried to push him off, at the same time as my knee went up and hit him between the legs. I obviously missed as he only grunted before holding me down even harder.

I screamed again, before he smacked me across the face.

“Stop!” he grunted, covering my mouth with his hand.

I tried to move my head to shake him off but he pressed down hard, the dirt falling from his hand into my mouth and choking me. I groaned through his hand, as loud as I could, hoping any noise would help Will find me.

“Stop fighting me,” he growled, his other hand grabbing at me under my dress.

I twisted under his grip, trying my hardest to get away but his knee only pressed down harder on my good leg, holding me to the ground. I couldn’t move my other leg with my throbbing ankle so I fisted my hands and beat them against him. His hand went further under my dress and I tried to punch him harder but it was no use. Being under him and restrained was no match for his strength. I felt him rip at my underwear and I suddenly knew that my nightmare would play out again. After all these years, I had gone backwards. I was reliving it, letting this bastard ruin me all over again. I moved my arm out and grabbed for anything I could find on the ground. I came across something hard, and dug it from the ground. As he unzipped his pants and positioned himself, I swung as hard as I could and smashed it against his head.

He grunted and then stopped for a moment, his hand moving from my mouth. I screamed as hard as I could, before swinging at him again.

He fell on top of me and I screamed again before I shoved him off onto the ground beside me. Still screaming and crying, I pulled myself up.

His arm shot up and gripped my neck, choking me.

I scratched at his arms and then with all the power and pain combined, kneed him in the groin. He gasped and his hand weakened its hold on me.

Crying uncontrollably, I started to punch him, over and over again. I held my fist the way the boys had shown me and just put everything into it. It jarred my arm and shoulder, but I didn’t care.

I didn’t stop.

I heard him gurgle from under me.

I shouted at him, felt the blood from his face, but kept hitting him.

There was a roar behind me and I was suddenly lifted off him and in the air. I screamed from the pain in my leg and the anger that had been inside me since that fateful night all those years ago. I screamed so hard that I imagined the blood vessels exploding in my head.

I wanted him dead; it was the only way I would survive this.

I struggled to get back to him, wanting to finish him off, until I heard a voice that soothed my screams.

“Janey,” he said into my ear. “Stop. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

I stopped struggling and fell limp in his arms. I cried and choked on my tears as I was moved further away. He lifted me up in his arms and cradled me to his chest. I sobbed into it, not knowing relief like it.

He was here. He had found me.

He had saved me again.

Will

“Get her out of here,” said Zac as he dropped the flashlight and picked up Oliver by the collar.

“Let’s finish this,” said Noah.

Oliver was lifeless, completely out for the count and I used every ounce of strength within me to walk away without ending him first. Janey hadn’t stopped crying into my chest.

“I’ve got you,” I said, moving back through the forest as quickly as I could in the dark.

She only cried harder.

There was sudden movement in front of me and I saw three guys with flashlights heading towards me. I knew they were my mother’s team of guards and watched them pass as they headed towards Zac’s flashlight.

It was only a minute later before I heard one final gunshot.

I paused and let out a deep breath.

Janey stopped crying.

“It’s over,” I whispered to her.

Janey

I suspect that there comes a time in everybody’s life when you suddenly stop to take a breath. You listen to your surroundings, taking in the sounds of twittering birds, or the rolling waves in the ocean, or just the sounds of your daily life going on around you. You take the time to find a rose from somewhere and just for a second let the perfumed scent awaken your senses. You take a deep breath, clearing your mind, just for a moment, as you fill your lungs with your life. It has taken a while to get to this moment but you did it and you are proud of it. It may not have been easy but you were there, in the moment, living. You have an awareness of the negatives in your life but you focus on the positives and see that they outweigh everything. It didn’t matter if you were twenty years old or eighty years old when you took this all important breath, because as long as it was happening it meant you were alive.

I was taking this breath.

I didn’t have birds or the ocean, but I took solace in the sound of the machine monitoring my heart rate. I was alive.

I didn’t have a rose, but I had my object of beauty beside me and I would make it my immediate plan to get up when I could move and go to him, just so I could take a sniff of him and awaken my senses.

I had survived.

I was in hospital and I was safe. My body felt broken but my soul was intact. I had clarity in my head like never before and I felt strong, maybe even invincible.

This was it.

My new bright and sparkling life started and I needed fucking sunglasses. I could breathe again. The weight had been lifted from my head and I was going to fucking rock it from now on. My eyes focused on my protector, sitting in a chair beside my bed. He was asleep and clearly hadn’t moved from the chair since I had got there. His t-shirt had blood stains and I wondered if it had been from me.

I slowly drank him in like a tall glass of icy deliciousness. The way his arms were folded in front of him, his biceps bulging while his legs were straight out in front of him, his big boots crossed at the ankle.

My protector.

And he was all mine.

His eyes opened, like he had sensed that I was awake and settled on me. He sat up and rubbed his face for a second. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“I love you,” I said.

He paused for just a moment, not expecting those to be my first words.

“I love you, too,” he said taking my hand in his, emotion making his voice thick.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“I came at the end Janey; you had already saved yourself. I’m so fucking proud of you right now,” he said swallowing hard.

Tears filled my eyes as I looked at him. He was proud of me and he loved me. He leaned in and kissed me softly on my lips.

“You’re my fighter. My wild, beautiful survivor. It’s all over now; you’re free of him.”

“Free to spend my life with you…forever. If you still want that.”

He kissed me again and gave me one of his sexy grins.

“I’m going to marry the fuck out of you.”

I laughed as he kissed me again.

I was one lucky trouble maker.

One year later

Ava

I let the music wash over me and closed my eyes, revelling in the moment. The cold wall behind me offered some comfort against my hot skin. A wall that had only just been put there during the complete overhaul of the warehouse I was now in.

Our warehouse.

Zac and I were the proud owners of an inner-city warehouse; fully renovated and filled with everything I would ever need. We had planned every detail together, every purchase and idea. A basement for Zac and his hardware, a rooftop for me so I could watch the stars at night and more rooms and living spaces than we would ever need. It was beautiful and as I had found out today, truly all mine. He had shown me the papers today sighting that it was all under my name. It was his way and I loved him for it.

But he was all I would ever need. This was all just icing on an already delicious cake.

I listened to the music and laughter drift up the stairs towards me, beckoning me back to it. I needed one more moment up here to just soak it all in. I had never been happier than I was right then; everything had aligned in the universe and I was a better girl for it. I was doing well at college and I was back in contact with my father. I had the most amazing circle of friends and undeniably the best family a girl could have. Everything was perfect.

I remembered the house parties of long ago, when I was discovering Zac’s world and searching for myself. That girl had well and truly found herself now. Zac had stolen my heart that first night all those years ago and all I had wanted was his in return.

I looked down at the ring he had given me a few years ago and smiled to myself. Together always, forever soulmates.

Zac

I laughed with friends and sipped my beer as I scanned the main room and then the stairs. My girl had disappeared up them a little while ago and still hadn’t come back down.

I left the conversation and started to make my way through the room and over to the stairs. I put my beer down as I went, touching my back pocket for reassurance just like I had done for the last couple of days now. There was an important ring inside that I had commissioned just for her. I had been waiting for the right time but just kept backing out, needing it to be extra special. I wanted her to have a special memory of it, to cherish it forever because I knew that it was important to her. She rarely spoke of the need to further solidify our relationship but I knew deep down it was what she wanted.

Fuck, I wanted it too. Anything to make her more mine and I was in. She was it for me and I wanted everyone to know it, I just wasn’t the proposal type. I didn’t want a fanfare or to make it so obvious that it seemed contrived. I headed up the stairs and saw her further down the hall, looking down at her hands, deep in thought. Was she upset about something? I quickened my steps and stopped in front of her. She looked up at me in surprise and I became lost in her eyes. They held everything I would ever need; I could drown in them and happily die a thousand deaths.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She nodded with a smile and said, “I’m fine.”

“What are you doing up here, alone?” I asked next, my fingers touching her beautiful face and then moving to cup her cheek.

“Just taking a breather,” she answered as her hands started to make their way around me.

“You want me to get them all out, close it down?” I asked.

“No, they’re all having fun,” she said with a smile. “I just needed a moment, that’s all.”

Was now the time? Would she remember this forever and tell her grandkids? Fuck, did she want to have kids with me? Did I ask her right now in this hallway?

“I’m just so happy right now,” she said leaning up and kissing me softly.

“Me too,” I murmured against her lips.

Should I do it right now?

Do it.

Just fucking ask her.

Do it now.

I can’t do this in the hallway.

I suddenly pulled away from her and then saw the alarm on her face, realising I had done it too quickly.

“Come with me,” I said, grabbing her hand.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“Nothing, just come with me; I need to show you something,” I said leading her down the hallway and then up more stairs to the rooftop. We both stepped out into the night air and I closed the door behind us.

She looked around the rooftop and then back to me. “What is it?” she asked.

Do it now. Now or never.

“Over here,” I said, leading her over to the main section of outdoor seating we had set up around a BBQ area. She had wanted fairy lights, so I had covered the whole area with them.

“Is this your idea of trying to get me naked?” she asked with a laugh.

“Well, yeah - maybe after,” I said.

“After what?” she asked.

My heart pumped. I felt slightly crazy as I cradled her face in my hands. I looked into her eyes and knew within my heart that the time was now.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you, too,” she said softly. “Zac, what’s going on?”

“I want forever with you, Ava,” I said kissing her lips. “You’re my reason for living. Everything is for you.”

“I want forever with you too,” she whispered.

“Marry me,” I said against her lips.

I heard her intake of breath and watched as she pulled back slightly to look at me. I saw the surprise in her eyes and then joy.

“Marry me, be my wife,” I confirmed huskily.

She promptly burst into tears.

I took her in my arms and laughed, before wiping her tears with my thumb. “Is that a yes?”

“It’s a yes!” she cried, throwing her arms around me.

I held on to her tight, feeling like the next jigsaw piece of my life had been put into the puzzle.

“I can’t believe you just asked me to marry you,” she said into my chest.

“Believe it,” I returned with a smile, kissing the top of her head. “I can’t believe you said yes.”

“I love you, Zac,” she whispered.

“I love you more,” I said, kissing her head again, before leaning back to look at her. She looked tear-stained, happy and beautiful. I pulled the ring out of my back pocket and placed it between us.

Her eyes widened as she took it in before she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, it’s so beautiful! And huge!”

I gave her a wink and said, “I know.”

She let out a laugh that warmed my heart all over again.

“You ready for this?” I asked.

“I’m so ready,” she said, giving me her hand.

I slipped the ring onto her finger and she gasped in happiness. It looked perfect on her hand like I knew it would. She started to cry and laugh at the same time, which made her even more adorable in my eyes.

“I love it,” she said kissing me. “I love you.”

I kissed her back, taking her breath away as I held her against me. My beautiful girlfriend was going to be my wife and I suddenly didn’t want to wait any longer.

“Let’s go somewhere now and get married,” I said against her lips.

She pulled back to look at me with a smile and said, “We can’t; these things take time and Janey would be furious.”

“She’s making me wear a suit for a whole day and night in a couple of days, so I don’t care how furious she is.”

“Where would we go?” she asked with a smile.

“You’re actually contemplating it?” I asked in surprise. “Because I have a contact than can get us married by the morning.”

“But we couldn’t tell the others. I don’t want to steal the limelight off Will and Janey.”

“So, we keep it a secret, until after their wedding. It’ll be just us tonight, getting married.”

She closed her eyes for a moment and then whispered, “I can’t believe this; I’m getting married. You’ll be my husband.”

“Sounds perfect to me,” I said kissing her again.

“Everyone is going to be so annoyed that we did this secretly.”

I shrugged, not caring about anyone other than my soon-to-be wife. “If you want a wedding, we’ll do a wedding. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“No, I want to go and do it right now,” she said with an excited glitter in her eyes.

I kissed her again and then took her hand. We looked at each other once more, she suddenly giggled and I grinned happily and then we were running to the door.

Ivy

I stepped out of the bathroom and then halted as Zac and Ava ran past laughing.

“Where’s the fire?” I asked after them but they were already heading down the stairs, in their own loved-up world. I smiled and then let it turn to a grimace as I felt the dizziness again. Did I make my way back downstairs to the party or just wait here for the next bout of sickness that would most definitely arrive sooner than I wanted. I had known for exactly fifteen hours that I was pregnant.

Me.

Pregnant.

I had a child growing inside of me.

I was going to be a mother.

And it scared the living shit out of me.

I had been feeling sick for a few weeks and I hadn’t seemed to be getting any better. Now I knew why; the baby growing inside me hadn’t been planned and I hadn’t told Noah yet. I didn’t know how he would react to be honest. I didn’t even know how I was currently reacting. I seemed to be going through phases of both sheer terror and excitement all while continuously throwing my guts up.

I had a terrible childhood, an even worse mother figure.

How the fuck was I going to do this?

I was going to fail, I just knew it.

I left the bathroom and headed to the top of the stairs and then paused, looking at the party below. The crowd had thinned out slightly but the music was still going and the laughter travelled up to me. I sat down on the top step and then searched out Noah, feeling my heart rate calm as I set eyes on him. He was talking animatedly to a friend while drinking his beer, making his friend laugh out loud. I smiled to myself, feeling the power of Noah, all the way from up here.

He was my sunshine, my saviour and I loved him to bits.

He was going to be a father, and he didn’t know it yet.

I needed to tell him tonight.

Noah

She looked beautiful sitting up on the top step and she called to me in ways that no other girl had. Our eyes met and she smiled at me, hiding the vulnerability that was there a second ago. Something was up. Something was bothering her and I needed to find out what was wrong.

Zac had just left, asking me to lock up after everyone left. I had no idea where they were going, but they were both grinning like they were sharing the same secret.

“So I can’t believe Will’s going through with it,” said Dylan with a laugh.

“I know, never thought I’d see the day,” I said, still looking up at Ivy.

“I hear a thousand girls’ hearts breaking all over the place,” he laughed. “Pretty much the same thing happened when you went and got serious.”

“That was a long time ago, now,” I said still watching Ivy.

“
You okay?”
I mouthed to her.

She nodded with a smile. I didn’t believe her.

“I’ll be back,” I said to Dylan as I put my beer down and moved through the party. I went up the stairs two at a time and then sat down beside her.

“What’s going on?”             

“Just admiring my man from up here,” she said, leaning into me.

“Which one? Is he hot?” I said, looking around the party.

“The hottest,” she said with a smile.

“Why aren’t you down there with him then?”

“Thought I’d watch from up here,” she said with a smile.

“You think he’d mind if I took you away from the party and had my wicked way with you?” I asked.

“He probably would,” she said pretending to be disappointed for me. “He’s actually a fighter and I really wouldn’t want you to be on the receiving end of one of his fists.”

“What if I kissed you?” I asked, leaning into her further.

“He doesn’t like other guys looking at me, let alone kissing me,” she whispered, her lips grazing mine.

“He shouldn’t have left you alone then, even for a second,” I murmured, taking her lips against mine, before taking her bottom lip between my teeth and gently pulling at it.

She let out a small sigh and whispered, “I can’t think when you do that.”

“Good,” I whispered, taking her mouth fully and kissing her hard. She returned my kiss as her hand went to my thigh and squeezed. I had her under me in a second, lost in our kiss, on the top step of the stairs. She would always have this effect on me and I would never get enough.

“Wait,” she said, breathing heavy.

I took a breath, remembering I was in clear view of the entire party. I had to get control of myself before I embarrassed both of us. I wanted to take her to our room we used when we stayed here and finish what had been started.